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While attempting to vacation in Egypt crack detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) finds himself caught up in a murder mystery aboard a luxury ship cruising the Nile. Using only his wits and power of reason and deduction it’s clear Hercule must expose the killer before more carnage is spread. Written by Michael Green based on Agatha Christie’s Novel and Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this star studded cast including Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, and Russell Brand certainly seems to move at a swifter pace than it’s predecessor, Murder on the Orient Express (2017), but, at a sacrifice of tonality and balance in character development. What looked good on the page in Christie’s original source material just fails to make the leap to the screen, several key moments with Gal Gadot (not necessarily her fault) stand out as sore artistic choices, perhaps a more judicious razor should have been brought to the editing room; this becomes even more apparent as the runtime creeps to two hours and seven minutes, a bit overstayed. Still for Branagh’s Poirot, there’s a whimsical charm to the unfaltering art deco gumshoe, he’s fun to watch, flawed as the film may be. Maybe a consideration for a rental later. Death on the Nile is rated PG-13.

Burned out in tinseltown, adult film star Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) returns to his small Texas hometown to re-group his energy, but as it turns out, nobody seems to want him around….except perhaps the young and impressionable Strawberry (Suzanna Son). Written by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch and Directed by Baker, this beautiful train wreck of a story starts off with a sharp tongue, quick wit, honest acting and cringeworthy outcomes, a pace that’s hard to maintain the entire runtime of two hours and eight minutes, and, admittedly does run a bit gassed by it’s conclusion; however, there’s a lot to appreciate along the way in terms of heartfelt schadenfreude within a dark comedy of errors. And, while not as avant garde as say, Harmony Korine, Director Sean Baker definitely sits as a shelf mate, creating beauty from the appalling with an eye for color and a palate made of the modern-absurd. Looking to feel uncomfortable and laugh at the same time, this might just be your ticket. Red Rocket is rated R.

In the 1980′ Naples, a young Fabietto (Filippo Scotti) is shaped by his experiences, sports, family, pop culture, and the general awkwardness of teen hormones, a combination that could propel him forward to pursue a career in cinema, if he had a just had a story to tell, then again, maybe he does. Written and Directed by Paolo Sorrentino this deeply personal story is told through stunning cinematography yet angular and indirect plot lines, sketching out a story similar to a Picasso painting, an implied meaning that one understands by looking at the total piece but not by studying its individual parts; for this reason, this semi avant garde storytelling approach probably won’t sit well with mass audiences, however, those up for a slow burn will definitely have something memorable to discuss later. The Hand of God is rated R.